If you do not know who Sailor Moon is, she is the main character of a popular manga series that has the same name. It was first published in 1991 and was made by Naoko Takeuchi. Ever since it first came out, this manga got a lot of reissues, got spun off to various storylines, got translated to English and later on became an anime. If you want to learn to draw Sailor Moon, it’s best that you study various pictures of her. Get to know the different aspects of her personality as you view different illustrations of her.


There are a couple of materials that you’d need before you can start drawing. First, you have to get some Sailor Moon manga issues. Get one from Anime bookstores or even your local bookstore’s children sections. Get some pencils. Also, it would be better if you have inking pens. Best, if you have different colors. Lastly, you should have paper.

Get Acquainted: Meet Sailor Moon

If you’re not a fan, the very first thing you should do is become acquainted with Sailor Moon. Go and browse through different issues of the Mange. Do this so that you can have an idea of what your subject character looks like even before you get to draw her. If you can’t get a hard copy of an issue or book, try searching the Internet. For sure you can find something online. After browsing, try to pick just one scene that you want to concentrate on and draw.

Start Drawing

Draw a girl that has a face with a slightly heart-shape. She should also have large and round blue eyes. It is pretty normal for you to encounter the heart motif throughout the manga. This is because she is described to be someone who has a very kind heart.

Her eyes should be big and inviting. Closely observe the manga and you’ll see that her eyes have a reflective manner. You can achieve this effect by putting a lot of white spots in her eyes. However, there are proper positions for these spots and they also depend on the direction that your character is looking. So, go back to your picture and observe properly.

Drawing The Hair

Once you’ve figured out the way you want her eyes to look, you can now add her hair. Sailor Moon’s hair is her trademark. This also applies with the different characters in the manga. Thus, drawing her with a different haircut or hairstyle would not make her Sailor Moon anymore.

If you will observe carefully, you’ll see that her whole head is heart shaped, including her hair. Sailor Moon has a very long hair that is always kept in pigtails. So, add some long hair and a big puff of bangs that forms a heart on your character’s forehead. Also, put 2 small puffs, one on the right and one on the left side of her head.

These look a bit like animal ears. However, they are not. Those two puffs are actually her hair accessories. The hairstyle she is sporting is called "odango" hairstyle, which is based on the Japanes word for meaning rice dumplings. Her pigtails should sprout out from the two puffs. Color her hair yellow when if it’s already time to put some color in your drawing.

The Body And Clothes

Sailor Moons’ body is quite slender. Her clothes are also another trademark. She wears a uniform, which is basically a sailor dress that is colored white. The short skirt is also white, but has some blue accents. She has a big red bow with a heart pendant on the middle of her chest. Her legs are slender and long with red boots.


Drawing human figures is considered to be the most difficult for artists to do. This is because there is no generic way of drawing it. The human figure is unique for each and every one. Hence creating a replica via pen and paper could be complex. Nevertheless, with some practice, you can still learn to draw people.

Learn Proportion

One of the most common mistakes when drawing people would be the proportion. You should take note of this when drawing. The ideal proportion would be 7 heads tall for a man figure. Here are some of the other important proportions to take note of, all of them are 2 heads long:

1. From the kneecap’s middle to the foot’s bottom

2. The femur’s head to the whole kneecap

3. The elbow’s size to the extended fingers’ tips

4. The collarbone down to the belly button

5. The chest width from each shoulder’s end.


Other than mastering the skill of proportioning, you should also learn how to observe. You can have a perfect drawing if you learn how to closely observe faces and people. Being able to observe and view correctly could be helpful in your artistic improvement in the long run.

Ask yourself questions such as: Were you able to see the correct outline of your model's eye? What is the thickness of the outline? How about the eyebrows? Is the chin’s positioning at the right place? Did draw the neckline curvier than it should be? Take a look at your drawing. Is it a real representation of what your model looks like? Did you miss something? Take a look again.

Precise observation is needed if you really want to draw people. For you to do this, take some caution when observing.

Express Emotions

For your work to be appealing, it should also express emotions just like real people do. Remember to give extra effort with your figure’s eye brows, eyes, and mouth. These are the 3 areas that you’ll be utilizing to express your character’s emotions.

For instance, if you’ll be drawing eyes, remember that the eye surface is moist and that it reflects light. To achieve this kind of effect, try to add little white dots on the black part of the eyes. Doing this would make your character more appealing and lively.

Start Out Big

The trick to drawing precise figures is that you should start out big. Try to draw the gross parts of the body first. In this way, proportion could be secured. After you’ve drawn the bigger portions of the body, this would be the good time to add the details. So, eyes and other intricate features are to be added on the later part of your work.

Be Environmental

You should also take good note of the environment that your character is in. For instance, if your figure would be beside the window, then you should take note of how light falls upon the body. The lighting would definitely make a difference, especially on the shadings of your drawing.

You should also be able to establish the environment. Is it an indoor or outdoor scene? If it’s indoor, then add some indoor furniture or accessories. If it’s outdoor then place a figure that resembles the outside world, like trees or lamp posts.